Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless-N Router & AP

Like the other draft-n routers, Buffalo’s Nfiniti Wireless-N Router and AP promises throughput five times faster than that of 802.11g. And though, like the others, it doesn’t quite live up to that promise, it’s nonetheless speedy.

Most routers offer a single-mode option, but the Nfiniti operates only in a mixed b/g/n mode, which means older-generation products on your network, such as 802.11b clients, can become network bottlenecks. Installing the router is simple and straightforward: the printed quick-start guide walks you through the steps of connecting the modem, a router, and a PC (via Ethernet cables) and powering up each component. The Buffalo AirStation Nfiniti router supports only Windows XP/2000/Me/98 SE operating systems; Mac and Unix users are out of luck.

Through the configuration utility, you can access the Buffalo’s proprietary network-setup protocol. By pressing the button on the router and the corresponding button or virtual button, in the case of network adapters, you should be able to initiate a wireless network connection automatically.

The Nfiniti offers competitive performance. In mixed-mode test at 10 feet, the router beat the competition with an impressive data rate of 60.2Mbps. At 200 feet, it still delivered a very satisfactory 38.2Mbps. Still, its performance falls short of the promise of 802.11n, the first draft of which specifies a maximum throughput of 270Mbps. Because of this, hold back on buying Draft-N gear and wait until the 802.11n specification is finalized in mid-2007 to see how performance shakes out.